


The True Champion

by Kate_the_fandom_writer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Canon Divergence - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, POV Original Character, Quidditch World Cup, Triwizard Tournament, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), kept as close to canon as possible (ish), though to be fair the author took liberties because Cedric deserved better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24682210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_the_fandom_writer/pseuds/Kate_the_fandom_writer
Summary: Cedric Diggory and Ruthie Albright have been best friends since before they could remember. While spending the summer together before their sixth year at Hogwarts, they attend the final of the Quidditch World Cup, where their world gets shaken up with the appearance of the dark mark. Once at Hogwarts, their lives become more interesting yet again with the introduction of the Triwizard Tournament. Though at first Cedric is feeling down next to the boy who lived becoming the second champion, Ruthie is determined to help her best friend get through the Tournament. Side by side, they plan to fight dragons, breath underwater, get through mazes, and still find time for homework. As the tournament progresses, Ruthie is struggling to keep her best friend safe. Throughout this retelling of the forth book in the Harry Potter series, we see Cedric Diggory as he is: a strong, brave young man who deserved more than what he got.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Of Portkeys and Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first chapter of a Cedric fic and I hope it's ok! I'm just gonna note here before we start that throughout the piece I sometimes use lines of dialogue from both the book and movie if it helps the story flow, and that I'm fully aware I don't own J.K. Rowling, any of her work, or characters. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this story following the boy who deserves the world!

I was sitting in a large flower filled field. A gentle breeze passed through the petals, making the field look like a colorful sea. I was content. The only thing missing was my best friend, Cedric. 

As soon as I had that thought, I saw him approaching from a ways off. I grinned, and started running towards him. My hair flew out behind me, the ground zipping beneath my feet. He held his arms wide open for me. Even though he was still a distance away, I could tell he also had a grin stretching ear to ear.

I was about to fling my arms around him, when someone called my name. 

“Ruth, it’s time to wake up.”

I jerked out of my dream to see my mom sitting beside me on my bed. I groaned slightly, trying to catch onto the bits of the dream I had just had before they disappear completely from my memory. 

“It’s still dark, why did you wake me up?” I grumbled, rubbing the remains of sleep out of my eyes. 

“You need to get ready, dear. Your portkey to the quidditch grounds is an early one, and it’s a bit of a walk to get to. 

I sat up quickly, excitement flaring through my body. The quidditch world cup. I nearly forgot! I jumped out of bed, flew to my wardrobe, and started pulling out clothes for the day.

Mom chuckled before leaving the room, letting me get dressed. I pulled on my favorite Hufflepuff jumper, comfortable jeans, and nice shoes for walking. I looked around my room, trying to think of what I’d need for the next day or so. I grabbed a bag, and shoved in a change of clothes for later, a book, and a bit of money in case I needed it. I then grabbed my cloak and checked to make sure my wand was in my pocket before I ran out of my room. I entered the kitchen to see my dad packing the bag that held our tent. He glanced up at me before turning back to the bag. 

“Morning Ruthie. You all ready?” 

“Yep,” I said, patting my bag. 

“Good. We’re just waiting for the Diggory’s to show up before we set off for the portkey.”

My heart leaps a bit in my chest. I had almost forgotten that we were going with them. I couldn’t help smiling. I hadn’t seen my best friend all summer, and as our campgrounds were right next to each other, I’d be seeing quite a bit of him for the next few days. There was a knock on the door. 

“I’ll get it,” I hear my younger sister call from the other room. A few moments later, I heard voices from the front hall. 

“Hey Cedric! Hey Mr Diggory!”

“Why hello there,” Amos replied. “Could we come in for a second?”

I heard them enter, and soon saw my best friend enter the room. 

“Cedric!” I cried, running to him. We hugged, both happy to see the other. After a few moments, we broke the hug and started discussing the world cup while our parents finished packing up. Finally, dad cleared his throat.

“Well, we need to be off. The Weasleys will most likely be heading to the portkey soon, and we need to meet them there. Come on.”

After hugging my mom and sister goodbye, I followed my dad out of the house. Once the four of us were together, we started walking towards Stoatshead hill. After a half hour walk, we made it.  
The Weasleys had yet to arrive, so Cedric and I went for a quick walk in the nearby trees to warm up. 

“You still need to tell me all about your trip to Romania,” I said, smiling at my friend as we walked. He looked over at me, a huge grin on his face.

“It was amazing, Ruthie. I learned so much, and the dragons were fantastic. I really feel like I know what I want to do after we graduate.”

“Wow Ced, really? Working with dragons?”

He blushed slightly, though that could be due to the temperature of the air. 

“Well, maybe not directly with them. Just, studying them. Write about them. I think it would be fun to learn more about them, you know?”  
I smile, and reach over to give his arm a light squeeze. “Whatever you do, I know you’ll do fantastic.”

“Thanks, Ruth. That means a lot coming from you.”

It was my turn to blush, but I tried not to show it.

“Yeah, well I got to support my best friend. After all, if you move to Romania, it’ll give me an excuse to go. I’ve always wanted to visit.”

Cedric laughed, and put his arm around my shoulders, and yanked me roughly to his side. I laughed, and reached an arm up to ruffle his hair. We continued walking until we heard my dad call out.

“Ruthie! Cedric! The Weasleys are almost here, come on or we’ll miss the Portkey!” We jogged to the base of the hill, and got there just in time to see Mr. Weasley and his family walk up to our fathers.

“Arthur! It’s about time, son!” Cedric’s dad said, clasping Mr. Weasley on the shoulder.

“Sorry Amos, some of us got a bit of a sleepy start.” He then noticed my dad. “Ah, Eddie! Good to see you outside of work! It’s been ages.”

Dad shook his hand, and they talked a few moments more. Cedric leaned down towards me when he noticed the angry glare the twins were sending his way, saying, “They must still be bitter about the outcome of our quidditch match last year.”  
I chuckled, which brought a small smile to his face. It also seemed to attract the adult’s attention, because Arthur said, “This young woman is yours, is she not, Eddie?”

Dad nodded. “Yup. This is my little girl, Ruthie.”

I glared playfully at my dad as Cedric snorted in amusement.

“I’m not little any more, Dad.”

Arthur’s attention went from me to Cedric. “And this strapping young man must be Cedric, am I right?” 

Amos nodded in pride as Cedric went pink. The twins once again glared. Ginny and Hermione exchanged small smiles. I frowned slightly, but said nothing. After Mr. Weasley introduced his kids and Ron’s friends, we all made our way to the top of the hill and stood around the portkey. 

“Ready?” Cedric asked me, kneeling close to my side. I grinned and nodded.

“Totally. You?”

He returned my smile. “One hundred percent.”

On the count of three, I felt a jerk behind my navel as the portkey took off. A few moments later, we came in for the landing. I felt rough ground come up under my feet. I nearly lost my balance, but Cedric was able to catch my fall. Between the two of us, we remained upright.

“Thanks,” I said a tad breathlessly, trying to catch my breath. I shot him a smile.

“No problem,” Cedric replied, grinning back. We each kept an arm around the others shoulders as we watched the others scramble to their feet. A few moments later, My dad and Mr. Diggory were leading Cedric and I to find our camp spot, leaving the Weasley party to find theirs. 

We talked and laughed all the way to our spot, which only took a twenty minute walk to get to. Once we found it, our dads stopped walking. Mr. Diggory pulled a canvas tent out of his backpack, and, after looking around furtively, waved his wand to put it up. In seconds, an ordinary looking tent was erected. Mr. Diggory grinned, and gestured for Cedric and I to go in. 

“There are four beds inside if memory serves,” he began as Cedric crawled in. “You and Cedric should probably go claim your beds before you go and explore the campgrounds.”  
I nod, then follow my best friend. I stood up once I made it inside, and glanced around, grinning. Though the tent looked normal from the outside, it was quite a different story on the inside.  
There were two small bedrooms, one to the left of the opening flap and one to the right, each containing two beds. Straight back from the opening stood a small kitchen and dining room, with a couple large squishy chairs taking up the floor space in the middle of the main room.  
I followed Cedric into the left hand bedroom, where I set my bad down on the empty bed. I was so involved in quickly putting my things away, that I hadn't noticed that Cedric had come up behind me till he smacked me in the face with a pillow. With a yelp of surprise, I quickly whirl around to see Cedric collapse on the floor, howling with laughter. I glared at him, which only made him laugh harder.

“That wasn’t funny, Ced,” I said, crossing my arms. “I wasn’t prepared.”

He calmed down enough to say, “I thought it was plenty funny. Did you hear the noise you made?”

I roll my eyes, and turn back to my bed. I picked up my now empty bag to stash under my bed, when I once again felt a pillow smash into me, this time my knees. I grunt, then turn my head so I made eye contact with Cedric. 

“So. This is how it’s going to be, is it?” I ask.

He sniggers, then nods. “Yup.”

I sigh. Then, moving quickly, I grabbed my pillow, and sent it flying smack into his face. It muffles his grunt of surprise. I start laughing as he struggles to stand up. I quickly grab his discarded pillow before I run out of our room.

“Ruthie! Get back here and fight me like a true Hufflepuff!” 

“You gotta catch me first, Cedric!”

He charges out of our room, not paying attention, which gave me the opportunity to hit him in the face again. He stumbles, but doesn’t fall. Before I could dodge out of the way, he managed to get me in the face with his own pillow. I giggle, and duck his next try as I scramble backwards. This carries on for a few minutes without any interruptions save our shouts, laughter, and threats. Then…

“Ah, Amos! Eddie! I didn’t realise our spots were right next to each other. Guess we didn’t need to split after all.” 

“Yeah, well, now we know, I guess. Where did your kids go? I thought you had more of them with you.”

“Fred and George had run into a friend, and lagged behind a bit. Where are yours? I notice they aren’t here…” but before Arthur could finish, Cedric managed to land another hit, causing me to let  
out a loud squeal. Pause.

“Are they ok in there?”

My dad sighed. “Probably. They went in there maybe ten minutes ago and we haven’t seen them since. Though I have a suspicion as to what they’re doing…”

With that, dad opened the tent flap and peered in. In that exact moment, I pounced on Cedric, whacking his pillow out of his hand as we both crashed to the floor. Before I could yell in triumph, Cedric caught a hold of my waist, and flipped us over so I was beneath him.

“Surrender?” He asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Never,” I replied, grinning up at him. Then I burst into uncontrollable laughter as Cedric proceeded to tickle me. “No! Stop! Cedric, you know I’m *squeals* ticklish, get Off!”

“Do you surrender?”

“Guys!” We froze. As one, we look at the tent flap. Our fathers, plus an amused looking Mr. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, and Ron, were looking in on us. “What are you doing?” Amos asked, suppressing a chuckle.

“We were having a pillow fight until someone got carried away,” I replied, elbowing Cedric in the stomach. He grunted, but got off of me and offered a hand up.


	2. The Quidditch World Cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Quidditch time! The big one between Bulgaria and Ireland. Get your team spirit on but be careful, rumour has it post game riots can get... crazy.

The stadium was huge. As we approached it, I couldn’t help but stop and look up and the immense walls surrounding the pitch. When Cedric realized I was no longer beside him, he stopped and turned to look at me. When he caught a glimpse at the wonder on my face, he grinned.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” he remarked as he walked back to join me. I grin at him.

“It really is,” I replied.

Cedric returned my smile and started to walk again. When I still didn’t follow, he turned again to me. “Are you going to stand there gawking all night or are you going to actually join me and watch the game?”

I startled out of my daze and chuckle, a bit embarrassed. “Ok, I’m coming.” I dashed up to join him and together we caught up with our dads.

“There you two are,” Amos said when we finally caught up. “We were worried you had gotten lost.”

“We didn’t get lost, Ruthie just forgot how to walk,” Cedric said with a mischievous grin.

“I did not!” I cried, elbowing him in the side. “I was just admiring the stadium, is that a crime?”

Cedric just laughed. I tried to keep a glare aimed at him but I couldn’t even pretend to stay mad at him for long. We made our way into the stadium and found our seats near the top, with a few snacks in hand and our Ireland flags at the ready. 

The quidditch pitch looked nice and smooth from our vantage point, bathed in a magical golden glow that seemed to fill the entire stadium itself. As we watched people file into their seats all around us, Cedric and I took turns pointing out the many things we saw. 

“Hey Ced, there’s an advert for all-purposes magical mess remover! Excellent, now I know how to banish you when you get on my nerves.”

He glared at me playfully. “You say this now but you know you’d miss me.”

I squint at him, pretending to think. “Would I though?”

“You wound me, Ruth, hope you know,” Cedric said, throwing a hand overdramatically onto his forehead. I giggle, reaching up to mess up his curly brown hair. We continue to tease each other until we hear Ludo Bagman’s voice echo through the stadium. 

“Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”

Cedric and I join in the eruption of cheers, waving our flags and grinning excitedly. As the cheering slowly subsided, I noticed the scoreboard set itself up. It was so close to beginning, the expectant energy radiating throughout the crowd was nearly tangible. I was so caught up in my excitement that I nearly missed Bagman’s announcement of the Bulgarian mascots. The renewed cheers caught my attention, and together with Cedric my attention was drawn to the field. 

“What do you think they brought?” Cedric asked, peering around the arena. We didn’t have to wait long. 

“Ah,” Amos said, drawing our attention. “Veela. Ced my boy, I suggest you cover your ears.”

Hesitantly, he did so as the show started. Their dancing was wild and their hair flowed all around them and I almost wondered why I wasn’t supporting their team as their volume increased. Then the music stopped and, as the Irish team’s mascot was announced, I remembered who I was there to see. 

As the leprechauns did their thing and the gold rained down, I felt something bump into me and looked to see Cedric grinning over at me. 

“Look at all this gold,” he said, offering a handful to me. “Too bad it’s not real, then this might actually mean something.” 

I laugh and turn back to the pitch. The teams were being announced. First Bulgaria, then Ireland. As each Irish player was announced, Cedric and I cheered. 

When the balls were released, a whistle blew and the game began. The players were truly a sight to behold. I had always been a fan of quidditch, I've enjoyed watching Cedric play it for school each year since we began. Just being at the world cup was exhilarating, and as the game ramped up it got harder to contain my joy. 

Player to player the quaffle was passed, score after score was made as the game progressed. Then…

“The snitch!” Cedric yelled, grabbing my arm. “They’ve seen the snitch!” I looked to where he was pointing and saw Ireland’s seeker going into a dive with Krum hot on his tail. 

“They’re going to crash!” I shouted, grabbing onto the arm Cedric had used moments ago to get my attention. 

“No they won’t, it only looks that way, it’s gotta be a feint,” Cedric replied, not tearing his eyes away from the game. He was partially right. While Krum managed to pull away, the Ireland seeker wasn’t so lucky and made a spectacular crash landing onto the pitch. 

“Where’s the snitch, did it get away?” I heard my dad call, squinting at the field. 

“No… Krum’s got it! The game is over!” Cedric said, not believing it. We turned to the scoreboard. 

BULGARIA: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY, IRELAND: ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY.

“I can’t believe it!” I cried, tightening my hold on Cedric’s arm as we cheered along with the crowd. “Bulgaria caught the snitch but Ireland won!”

“I know!” Cedric replied, grinning like a madman. “We won!”

❉❉❉

Cedric and I made our way back to our tent arm in arm. Our dads were walking ahead of us, deep in conversation about the match. The night was alive, with the masses of people spilling out of the light of the stadium into the dimness of the night around us. Fires sprung up as people arrived back at their tents, accompanied by singing and laughter and loud conversations. 

“I still can’t believe Bulgaria caught the snitch. If they had been only twenty points higher, they would have won!” I said, enjoying the atmosphere of the evening. Cedric smiled at me.

“That never would have happened, Ireland is too good. I’m just surprised that Lynch didn’t catch the snitch, he was so close. If only he hadn’t crashed…”

We continued to discuss the match until we made it back to our tent. There, the four of us made some hot chocolate and enjoyed light conversation until I was finding it hard to keep my eyes open. Cedric noticed, and nudged me with his elbow.

“You want to head to bed?” 

I managed to hold my eyes open long enough to nod, then headed to my bed. I flopped down onto my mattress, too tired to be upset that my pillow was still in the other room after our pillow fight earlier that day. I didn’t hear Cedric climb into his bed, and I don’t remember falling asleep. What I do remember is being startled awake by the screams. 

I shot up in bed, confused. Why was there screaming? I looked over to see Cedric scrambling out of bed, pulling on a jumper and grabbing his wand. I follow suit, too dazed to even ask what the hurry was. We ran into the main area of the tent together, where we ran into my dad and Mr. Diggory.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Cedric asked, watching his dad yank on his cloak.

“Not sure yet, some sort of riot I expect,” he replied, checking for his wand.

“What are we going to do?” I ask, looking first at Cedric then to my dad. 

“You and Cedric are going to get out of here, it’s not safe. Find a place in the woods or somewhere else out of the way and wait until we come and get you.”

I opened my mouth to argue but was shut down almost immediately. “Even if I wanted you to help, you are both still underage. Besides, your mother would kill me if she found out. Please, just stay together and stay safe.”

I nod, once again grabbing onto Cedric’s arm. We made eye contact. He flashed me a quick reassuring smile before turning back to our parents.

“Alright, we’ll stay safe. You guys need to stay safe too, no need to end up at St. Mungos because of a post match squabble.” 

Amos gives him a strained smile before nodding and rushing out of the tent, my dad right behind him. Cedric let go of my arm to grab my hand before dragging me out of the tent. We weave our way through the panicking crowd. I start to get a sinking feeling that this was more than just a post match disagreement. 

To my dismay, I was proven right. Cedric and I stopped moving for a moment to gather our bearings when we saw it; a group of masked wizards dangling four people high in the air above their heads. As this group marched through the camping grounds, they blasted tents out of the way and set things on fire, laughing as they did so. 

“What are they doing to those people?” I cry, holding tighter to Cedric’s hand.

“I don’t know, but I do know we need to find somewhere safe. Come on.”

With that we started off again, Cedric determined to make it to the safety of the trees. We finally made it, trying to avoid the many others who were trying to get away from the chaos of the camp site. We finally found a decent place to stop, so we settled ourselves on the ground to wait.

The night was cold, and despite my jumper I shivered. Cedric noticed, so he pulled me close to his side. 

“Do you think… do you think everyone’s all right?” I asked, staring off into the night.

Cedric sighed, shifting his position slightly to get more comfortable. “I hope so, but I can’t be sure what with all the fires. I wonder what all that was about? Surely it can’t just be because Bulgaria lost the game could it?”

“I really don’t know.”

We fell into silence, watching people gather into groups, hurried whispers and fast footsteps filling the night. I leaned my head against Cedric’s shoulder, and he rested his head on mine in return. We almost dozed off when the gasps and muffled screams from those around us jolted us back into consciousness. 

“Wha…” Cedric started but stopped abruptly when he saw the sky. I followed his gaze and gasped. What looked like a huge skull hung in the once empty sky with a serpent in the place of a tongue protruding from its mouth. It couldn’t be. We looked at eachother, a matching look of horror on our faces. Before we could say anything, a commotion broke out a little ways beyond where we sat. I considered dragging Cedric away from the noise when I recognized his dad’s voice. 

“There’s a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed…”

We stumbled into the clearing just as Mr. Diggory pointed his wand at another and said “Prior Incantato!”

“Dad? What’s going on?”

Amos looked up to see us standing at the edge of the clearing, both of us looking shaken up. He looked down at the wand long enough to say “Deletrius”, tossd the wand at a dark haired teen, then walked towards us. 

“Cedric, Ruthie, I’m so glad to see that you’re both safe.”

“Dad, what’s going on?” Cedric repeated. “Why is the dark mark suddenly in the sky?”

“Ced, I’m sure you’re anxious, but we have this under control. Look, I still need to do a few things here, but Eddie doesn’t. Why don’t you and Ruthie let him take you home and I’ll meet you at their house once this is all cleaned up?”

Before either of us could argue, my dad came up and gestured for us to follow him. We walked in silence for a while, exited the forest, and made it to the edge of the campgrounds. We made it to the hill where the portkeyes were kept, and had one set to Stoatshead Hill. Once there, we made the long walk back to my house where my mum stood outside the front door waiting. 

“Thank goodness you’re all right, I’ve been hearing such terrible things about what happened and I didn’t know what to believe or if you were safe!” She cried as she pulled Cedric and I into a tight hug. 

Once she let go, we made our way inside. We made it upstairs, where I let Cedric into the guest room and, after a quick goodnight, made my way to my room. I collapsed onto my bed and, before I could even think about removing my shoes, I fell into a deep sleep.


	3. The Start of a New Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is a kinda filler chapter between the the Quidditch game and the champion selection, but please enjoy the feast and Dumbledore announcing what is happening at Hogwarts this year!

September first rolled along quicker than I would have liked. That morning, I dragged my trunk down the stairs and found my parents in the kitchen. My sister was also there.

“I still don’t see why I can’t go to school, I turn eleven next year!” Lucy pouted, trying to convince my parents that she should start school today. My dad sighed.

“You know that you don’t start until next year. I’m sorry Lucy, but I don’t make the rules.” With that, my dad turned to see me. “Ah, Ruthie. Good to see you’re up! Well, we need to leave to get to the station soon so I hope you’re packed.”

I nod, patting my trunk. I haul it next to the front door, before returning to the kitchen to say goodby to my mum and sister. A knock on the door drew my attention away from my goodbyes. I smiled. It was time. 

I got to the front door right as my dad opened it, revealing Cedric on our front step. Behind him, I could see his dad in the front seat of a Ministry car, grinning out at us. He rolled down the window to shout, “Ready to get these two freeloaders off to school?”

Cedric turned to roll his eyes at his dad who only laughed before turning back to me.

“In nicer words, you ready to go?”

I laughed before responding. “Yeah I’m ready, just let me get my trunk.”

I took hold of my trunk and pulled it out the front door. Cedric popped the trunk of the car, and together we lifted it in next to his. With a snap, the trunk was closed and after a last round of goodbyes we hopped in the car to start the drive to King’s Cross Station. 

“So,” I said in a mock serious tone, turning to Cedric. “It’s our second to last year. We start our NEWT classes this year. Are you excited?”

He groaned playfully. “It’s too early to start thinking about NEWTs, Ruthie! We just got our OWL results back. Give me a break!”

I snorted. “I don’t think our teachers will have the same attitude.” I screwed up my face and put on a cold, sneering voice. “I doubt that many of you have what it takes to continue on with NEWT potions. You managed to scrape by well enough in your OWLs, but that won’t be enough this time. You have been warned!”

Cedric burst out laughing. “If Snape doesn’t say at least one of those things in our first lesson back, I’ll lick my cauldron.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Ced, you’d do that anyways if someone dared you to.”

“Your point? I’m fairly sure he’ll say something like that so I'll be safe. And on the off chance that he doesn’t I’d rather not have to do something too horrible.” 

I chuckled. 

The rest of the drive passed in similar fashion, with conversations ranging from our future classes to our prefect duties to our hopes for the quidditch cup this year. When we pulled into King’s Cross Station, we were in the middle of arguing whether or not we’d still have the heightened night watch duties that Dumbledore had put in place while Sirius Black was a much larger threat the year before. 

“I hope they lay off of us a bit this year, I lost way too much sleep last term because of those night duties,” Cedric mused, stretching as he got out of the car.

“But think about it. They haven’t caught Black yet, right? If he broke into the castle last year, who's to say he won’t try again?” I responded while helping him to get our trunks out of the car.

“Relax, the last time he was spotted he was miles away. Besides, the ministry has lightened up security in other places, so they’ve either got a lead or have deemed him to be less dangerous than originally thought. Either way, I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”

“I suppose,” I said, not entirely convinced but still more at ease then I had been. My dad got out of the front to give me a hug. 

“Be safe at school, and have fun! Please remember to write.”

I smiled at him. “No worries, I’ll be fine. I always am.”

Once Cedric had said goodbye to his dad, we wheeled our trunks through the station to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. After a brief glance around to make sure no one was looking, we walked up to the barrier and entered platform nine and three quarters. We took our things to the train and loaded them on, then got onto the train to head towards the prefects compartment. Once there, we settled in, ready to begin the journey towards a new school year. 

❉❉❉

It was so nice to be back at the castle, with its sprawling grounds, comfortable common rooms, and many towers. Once off the train, Cedric and I had met up with some friends and together made our way to a carriage. The bumpy ride was filled with laughter and jokes, friends reunited after a summer apart.

“I’m absolutely starving,” Cedric announced to the carriage. “I hope the sorting hat doesn’t take forever, I need dinner!” 

“Cedric, you ate plenty on the train,” I began, which gained laughter from our other friends.

He gave me a look. “I’m always hungry. Besides, I need to stay fed in order to be the best seeker I can be!”

“You talk like there’s a match tomorrow,” Angelina Johnson said, chuckling from her spot next to Oliver Wood.

“Well, I need to stay prepared, don’t I?” 

I rolled my eyes playfully, which earned me a light swat on the arm from Cedric. The carriages pulled up to the front of the school, and we made our way up the front steps and into the entrance hall. We walked into the Great Hall where our group dispersed to our respective house tables. Cedric and I sat across from each other at the Hufflepuff table, and started up a conversation while we waited for the evening to start. 

Professor McGonagall brought in the sorting hat, then led in the terrified first years. She unrolled a scroll and the sorting began. Once we had welcomed in the new additions to Hufflepuff house, the Great Hall quieted as the headmaster stood to address the students. After his customary welcome, the feast began. 

The feast was absolutely lovely, and between all the good food and the weariness from the trip, Cedric and I talked little through dinner. After we had all finished, Dumbledore stood up to give us the announcements for the year. 

“Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention while I give out a few notices.”

He smiled out at us all before continuing. 

“Mr. Filch has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden in the castle has been extended, and is posted outside of his office for perusal should you wish to remind yourself of the specifics.” The corners of his mouth twitched, as if to say that Dumbledore himself knew that, most likely, no one would actually check.

“As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students. All students, please.” With that, his gaze seemed to linger over the Gryffindor table for a moment too long. 

“It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year.”

At this, a small wave of surprise and discontent spread throughout the hall. I glanced at Cedric, who looked too stunned to say anything.

“This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continue throughout the school year, taking up much of teachers’ time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure to announce that this year at Hogwarts-” 

At this, Dumbledore was interrupted by an inconvenient rumble of thunder and the entrance of a man who, we soon found out, was our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. After things had settled down, Dumbledore continued his announcement.

“As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”

“No way!” Cedric cried, his distress over Quidditch momentarily forgotten. He turns to me, excitement in his eyes. “Can you believe it? The Triwizard Tournament! I’ve always dreamed about having the chance to compete!” 

I grinned at Cedric. “This is amazing! You’ll finally have the chance to enter! Imagine, the Tournament at our school!”

After the initial wave of excited exclamations and chatter, Dumbledore was able to continue explaining how things would work, which schools were coming, and the rules that would be in place. 

“And now,” Dumbledore said, ending his remarks, “it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested for your lessons tomorrow morning. Chop chop!”

I turned to Cedric, about to start talking about the news when I remembered I was a prefect. Instead, I said, “Ok how do you want to do this, wanna stay here and round up the others or show the first years to the common room?” 

He thought for a moment. “You take the first years, I did that last year. I’ll stay here and make sure the rest head on their way. I’ll meet you in the common room when I’m done, ok?” 

I agreed, and turned to the table. “First year Hufflepuffs, come to me!”

Once I had gathered a group of confused yet eager students, I showed them the way to the common room and taught them how to get in. After they were settled, I watched as the others filed in, all talking excitedly about the tournament. Finally, Cedric entered the common room. After spotting me, he came and sat down next to me. 

“So, are you going to enter?” I ask him, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, I am. I think it would be such a neat opportunity to prove myself and make Hogwarts proud, you know?” 

I smiled at him, placing a hand on his knee. “Ah Ced, you’ve already made Hogwarts proud. But I have no doubt you’ll do it again.”

He became all serious, an almost unreadable look of longing in his eyes. “Ruthie, do you think I’ll be chosen?”

I made eye contact, matching his serious expression. 

“I have no doubt.”


	4. The Triwizard Champions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drumroll please, because it's time for the champions to be chosen! Our boy is about to get the chance of a lifetime! *gives him a very proud smile*. Mild angst at the end but it's all good because he's got his best friend there to vent to. Anyways, without further ado, enjoy!

“The Hogwarts champion is…. Cedric Diggory!”

The Great hall erupted in cheers, the loudest cheers coming from the Hufflepuff table. Cedric turns towards me, a huge grin on his face. 

“You hear that? Me! I’ve been chosen!” He almost yells, standing up to follow after Fleur and Krum.

"I'm so proud of you!" I yelled, clapping him on the back as he started his way up to Dumbledore. 

I keep my eyes on him as he leaves, and the hall slowly falls silent. I, along with a few of our other friends, were the last to stop clapping. As Dumbledore started talking, explaining a few more things about the tournament, I couldn’t help letting my mind wander away from his words and instead think about my best friend. I was so happy for him; I knew he was going to do great. I was yanked out of my thoughts when a commotion started at the front of the hall.

The Goblet of Fire had flared up again. Dumbledore walked slowly towards it, just as confused as the rest of us, when a fourth piece of paper shot out of the Goblet. He caught it, then read it quickly. A shocked look crossed his face. 

“Harry Potter?” He announced, not fully hiding the worry he was obviously feeling. The hall went deadly quiet. I watched Harry walk up to Dumbledore in silence, a million feelings coursing through my mind. 

Half of me was angry that Harry had been chosen alongside Cedric. I had thought that when Cedric had been chosen, Hufflepuff would finally be the house that shone the brightest. Ever since Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts, Gryffindor had won everything. The house cup, quidditch cup, everything. Now, it seems, Gryffindor has a chance to win the Triwizard Tournament as well. I couldn’t deny my wish for Hufflepuff to finally be the special ones. On the other hand, half of me was sad to see poor Harry walking towards Dumbledore. He’s been through so much in his life so far, it wasn’t fair that he’d been selected for this as well. The Great Hall was buzzing with students talking, wondering how on earth Hogwarts ended up with two champions.

“How could he have been entered? The age line should have prevented that,” A familiar voice said behind me. I turned around, and saw a timid fourth year Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, walking over from her table. I motioned for her to sit next to me, and she did. 

“I was wondering the same thing. I mean, I don’t think anyone would help him do it, and no aging potion would get him across. I’m stumped.” I replied, looking across the hall towards the Gryffindor table, trying to find my friend Angelina. I gave up; the Hall was just too crowded. I turned back to Cho. She smiled at me.

“So, I guess the question is who will you be supporting? Harry, or Cedric?”

I answered almost at once. “Cedric is my best friend in the entire world. I’m going to be supporting him every step of the way. Of course I hope Harry will be safe, but I honestly hope that Hufflepuff can come out on top this year.”

Cho nodded. “I don’t know who I want to support more, as neither of them is from Ravenclaw. My immediate reaction is Cedric, because he was chosen first. But still, Harry is in my year, and it would be cool to see a fourth year beat sixth year students.”

I chuckled. We then fell into the topic of quidditch and how we wished we would still have the games while the tournament was going on. About half an hour later, Dumbledore came back into the hall, and cleared his throat. 

“I know tonight has been full of excitement. And I promise that everything will be worked out in the next few days. However, it is time you all are off to bed, to rest up for classes tomorrow. Prefects, help get your houses to your dormitories. Off to bed, quickly please.”

With that, everyone starts to move. I say goodbye to Cho, and stand up nice and tall. I straighten my prefects badge, then gather together the first years and start directing my house to go to our common room. It was a bit harder than usual, as Cedric, the other Hufflepuff prefect, wasn’t there to help me. I end up asking one of my friends to help get the first years back while I stay back to make sure the rest of my house files out of the Great Hall. Finally, after about twenty minutes of controlled chaos, there were only a few fourth and fifth years left.

“I came back to help you, but I can see that you won’t be needing it,” a soft voice says behind me. I turn around, and grin. Cedric had come back to try and fulfil his prefect duties. 

“I didn’t know when you’d be released from your champions meeting, so I made sure to work extra hard to cover for you,” I explained, turning to usher the remaining Hufflepuffs out of the hall. Cedric places a hand on my shoulder. I look at him.

“Ruthie, why don’t you go back to the common room. You covered for me for most of the past half hour, so I’ll make sure the stragglers get back.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he shook his head.

“No arguing. I’ll meet you back in the common room.”

I agree, give him a quick hug in thanks, then leave the Great Hall. I entered the common room, and ran up to my dormitory. I grabbed my homework, and then headed back to the common room to wait for Cedric. Around ten minutes later, he enters the Common room. He looks around and, spotting me, walks over to the table I’ve claimed for us to work on. He sits down next to me, and sighs.

“So, Mr. Diggory, what is it like to be the Hogwarts champion?”

He smiles faintly at me before he turns to his bag to take out his homework. 

“It felt great for approximately three minutes. Then I learned Harry Potter was also chosen. Now I feel mostly sad. I resigned myself to the fact that as I’m not the only Hogwarts Champion, I’m no longer as special as if I was the only one.”

I place my hand on his arm.

“What are you talking about, Ced? Of course you’re still special! Just because Potter somehow got chosen as well doesn’t diminish you and your accomplishments.”

He looked at me, a pained look on his face.

“Don’t you see? This was my chance to prove to everyone that Hufflepuffs aren’t weak, not passive, not the bottom of the barrel. I was going to prove myself, and win the Tournament not only for Hufflepuff but for the school. Now, the famous Harry Potter will outshine me as the favorite Champion.” He had placed his head in his hands.

I thought very quickly before responding. 

“Cedric, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You still can prove Hufflepuff’s the best. You can still win the Tournament for Hogwarts. Think of this logically. Harry is a fourth year. Though he’s not unintelligent, he still doesn’t know nearly as much magic as you do. You have an advantage over him before we even start.”

Cedric looked up into my eyes. “That does make sense.”

He smiled, but immediately frowned again. “But people will still root for him over me. He’s the famous Harry Potter, who manages to do something amazing every year. I’m just...me. Nothing special.”

I threw up my hands, exasperated. “You aren’t a nobody. You’re Cedric Diggory. You’re a prefect, and in the running for Head Boy next year. You’re smart, kind, helpful, funny, and manage to turn any day into a happy one. You’re special, Ced. Don’t sell yourself short.” He sighs, then stands up. 

“I’m going to go for a quick walk. Maybe get some water. I’ll be right back.” 

I let him go, knowing he probably needed some time to himself. I turn back to the pile of our homework. I knew it was late, but I hoped to get something done tonight. I opened my History of Magic textbook, and tried to coralle my brain into taking notes on first hand accounts of the Salem Witch trials. I got halfway through rereading notes I had already made, when I gave up. I knew I wouldn’t be able to work, there were too many thoughts running through my head. 

I leaned back in my seat, stretching my arms out behind me before I sat up straight and started to put my things away. I then straightened Cedric’s things up, ready for him to take care of them. I then turned around and surveyed the rest of the common room. The fires were crackling merrily in the hearths, warming the plush, yellow couches that surrounded them. I went and stood by one of the fires, and just watched it. The flames entranced me, helping me forget the commotion of the night for a few moments. 

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t realise Cedric had returned until he leaned up against the wall right next to me.

“Hey, Ruthie,” he said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to face him. 

“Hey, Cedric. Feeling any better?” I asked, reaching out my hand and fixing his prefects badge, which had been knocked crooked. He nodded.

“Loads. Thanks for talking to me. You really helped.”

I smiled. “That’s what I was aiming for. Now, I want you to go get some sleep. It’s late, and it’s been an eventful day. You’ll want some energy tomorrow, I have a feeling that Snape will spring a potion making test on us, and you know how stressful those are.”  
Cedric smiled at me. “Right, then I will. On one condition.”

I roll my eyes playfully. “And what would that be?”

“You go to bed as well. I don’t want you depriving yourself of sleep either.”

“No worries, I was planning on heading to bed soon anyways. I don’t think I could get any work done tonight. Too much to think about.”

He groaned slightly. “Tell me about it. Well, goodnight. See you in the morning.”

We grab our bags, and head to our separate dormitories. As I lay in bed, an overwhelming feeling of nervousness crashed over me, one that didn’t have anything to do with a potential potion quiz the following day. No, It concerned Cedric. I shook it off, and rolled over. After all, the first task wasn’t for almost a month. He had plenty of time to prepare. There was nothing to really worry about at the moment. 

With that thought, I let myself drift to sleep, and was greeted with a dreamless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? I told you it was mild. And thanks for reading, it means a lot! On to the next chapter :)


	5. The True Hogwarts Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here except Cedric is finally starting to feel more confidant in his role as champion, and we love it!

“Well Ruthie, you were right about having a quiz in potions,” Cedric said, walking beside me as we left Snape’s dungeon. “How did you know? Snape never even drops hints when we’ll have one?”

I grinned at him. “I honestly don’t know. I guess I just had a funny feeling that he wanted to watch us struggle today.”

Cedric laughed, and knocked into me playfully. I grin, and knock him back.

“We have a free next, what do you want to do?” I asked him as we walked into the main hall. 

“Well, as we got no homework done last night, do you want to go to the library to catch up on that?” He asked. 

I nod, so we walk towards the library, passing many people. Several people turned to look at us, and several more waved at us. Cedric, I corrected myself, they’re waving at Cedric. After all, he is a champion now. We enter the library, and head towards the back. We set our bags down at a table situated beside a window.

“I need to go grab a few books for history of magic. Do you need anything while I’m up?” I asked.

Cedric shook his head, smiling at me. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Ok, I’ll be back soon then.”

I walked towards a row of shelves near the front of the library, where a lot of the history books were placed. As I was browsing the shelves, I noticed Cho walking in. She noticed me, and I waved. I turned back to the shelves, and continued looking for the books I needed. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was. It was Cho. 

“Hey, Cho. How are you doing?” I asked, looking back to the shelves.

“I’m well. I have an off period now, and decided to try and find Cedric.”

I turned back to her quicker then I had meant to. 

“Why do you want to see Cedric?” I asked. I don’t know why I was feeling protective of him, but I was. 

She looked a little startled by my reaction, but said, “I just want him to know I’m supporting him through the tournaments. I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how he’s the true Hogwarts champion, you know. Though I’m still not sure who I’m rooting for exactly, I want him to know I do hope he does well.” 

I smile at her, trying to make up for startling her. “Oh, he’ll love to hear that. He was stressing out last night about how he felt no one will support him over Harry. It’ll make him happy to hear it from someone other then me. And about every other Hufflepuff. Anyway, he’s sitting at a table near the big window at the back of the library. I’d take you there myself but I need to find a few more books.”

“Thank you,” She said, then left. 

I turned back to the shelves, and found the rest of the books I needed without any other interruptions. I headed back to the table, and to my surprise, Cho was still there. 

“Sure, I can. See you tomorrow evening then.” I heard Cedric say.

“See you tomorrow,” Cho replied. She turned around and smiled at me before she left.

I sat down next to Cedric, and set my books down. He looked up from his transfiguration homework to smile at me. 

“Woah, Ruthie. Are you sure you have enough books?”

I roll my eyes at him. “Yes, I’m sure,” I said. “What did Cho want?” I asked, pulling out my history of magic notes. 

“Well, she first told me how she hopes I do well in the Triwizard Tournament, then she asked if I could help her study for charms, said she’s been having troubles and hoped I could help. So I said I would tutor her for the next few evenings starting tomorrow.”

“That-that’s nice of you,” I said, trying to keep disappointment out of my voice. I obviously didn’t do a good enough job because he put down his quill and grabbed my arm gently. My eyes met his, and he smiled gently.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. I turned a nice shade of pink, embarrassed that I’d have to explain that I was feeling slightly jealous that my best friend would be spending every evening this week with a fourth year girl.

“I’m just a little sad that our study evenings will be over for a while, that’s all. That, on top of the tournament prep you need to do, and our prefect duties, we’ll hardly get time to spend together.”

He chuckled, and let go of my arm. “Oh, come on. I only agreed to tutor her for a week. And yes, we have our prefect duties. But who says we can’t do those together? And as for preparing for the first task, did you think I wouldn’t ask you to help me? I would be an idiot if I didn’t get your help.”

I smiled. “I guess.” Then I sighed. Something was still weighing on me.

“Ruthie, there’s something else on your mind, isn’t there.”

I nod. “Dang, Ced. Am I that easy to read?”

He chuckles. “Well as I’ve known you for almost our entire lives, I can usually tell what you’re thinking.”

“I guess what I’m really sad about is that we won’t have any time to just hang out, you know? Without homework or duties or… tutoring.”

He smiles once again. “Oh, I see. You need some Cedric time, don’t you.”

I giggle at his use of the phrase Cedric time, one we used when we were younger. 

“I guess I do. I miss just hanging out with you.”

“I have an idea. I know it won’t be the perfect solution, but what if I get permission from Professor Sprout and Professor Sinistra so we can use the astronomy tower Saturday for a night of stargazing. We could work on some astronomy homework, but mostly stargaze. How does that sound?”

I grin. “That sounds amazing.”

“Great. Now, can you help me finish this essay for McGonagall? I’m missing something but I’m not sure what.”

As the end of our off neared, we packed up and left the library for Flitwick's classroom. We discussed the transfiguration essay until class started. After charms was lunch, and after lunch was History of magic. Before we got to class, Professor McGonagall caught up to us. 

“Mr Diggory, you are needed in the charms classroom, for champion interviews. People from the Daily Prophet are here, and have requested the champions be spared their fifth block classes in order to do this.”

“Alright, then I guess I’m off to that then,” he said, flashing me a smile. “Will you let Binns know that I’ll be gone?” 

“Yeah, I’ll mention it to him. Not that I think he’ll notice all that much…” I replied. He grinned at me again before heading off down the corridor towards the staircase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that some jealousy on Ruthie's part? Maybe ;)


	6. Stars and Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dragons. That's the first task. They have one for each of them. (I don't have much to say here so... on to the chapter)

The rest of the week passed by rather quickly, as I had so much work to do. Between homework and my prefect duties, I hadn't realized it was Saturday until I had gotten to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“Morning Ruthie,” Cedric said, sitting down across from me at the Hufflepuff table. 

“Morning Ced,” I replied, smiling up at him from my toast.

“So, what do you have planned for today?” he asked, grabbing himself some breakfast. 

“Well, I was probably going to finish my essay for Snape, then maybe go for a walk around the lake. And maybe, if I feel like it, I may help a certain Champion start preparing for the first task,” I said, grabbing the nearest jug of pumpkin juice.

“Hm, well I hope that champion appreciates your help,” Cedric said, trying to fake a wistful tone. I grinned at him.

“Yeah, I hope so too. Maybe after I finish my essay, you’d want to join me in my walk around the lake? We could take a picnic so that we could immediately start working on preparing you for the first task.”

He thinks about it for a second. “That sounds like a good idea, and it will allow us to spend even more time together today.”

I look up at him. “More?”

He grinned at me. “Of course. You haven’t forgotten our stargazing adventure scheduled for tonight, did you?” 

“Of course I didn’t,” I said. “That just makes today so much better!”

I finished up my toast. “Well, I’d better hurry up and finish that essay. The sooner I finish, the longer we have to spend together.”

He grinned at me. “Ok, you do that. How long do you think you’ll take?”

“About an hour, give or take.”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you near the bridge in about an hour then. And don’t worry about lunch. I’ll take care of that.”

I flash him one last smile before I walk off to the Hufflepuff common room. 

An hour later, I neatly roll up my essay and place it in my bag. I then rush to put my bag in my dormitory, grab a cloak, and run back out to the common room. I nearly bowled over Holly, one of my best friends. 

“Woah there, Ruthie. Where are you off in such a hurry?”

“Oh, sorry about that Holly. I’m on my way to meet Cedric by the lake. He’s asked if I could help him brainstorm for ideas on good spells to learn for the tournament, so I agreed to help him.”

“Oh, ok,” she said, giggling.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, pulling on my cloak.

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just that you and Cedric will be alone, by the lake…”

I shove her playfully, turning pink in the cheeks.

“Stop it,” I said, failing to hide a grin. “We’re just friends, have been since we were little.”

“If you say so,” Holly said, smiling. “Anyway, have fun. Tell Cedric I say hi.”

With that, I left the common room and headed out the front doors. As I neared the bridge, I saw Cedric, who was talking to someone. I got a little closer, and recognised it was Harry. Cedric was frowning slightly, listening intently to whatever it was Potter was saying. He looked up, saw me, and smiled. Harry turned around.

“Hey, Harry. Cedric. What’s going on?” I asked, stopping at Cedric’s side. 

“Nothing, just saying hi,” Harry said, looking at the ground. I frowned. 

“Are you sure? Is anything wrong?” I asked, worried.

Harry looked up at me. “No, no. I just wanted to catch up with Cedric real fast, that’s all.”

I nod, even though I don’t buy this explanation. 

“Well, I can see that you two were about to do something,” Harry said, gesturing to the basket by Cedric’s feet. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Bye,” Cedric said. “And Harry?”

Harry turned around. 

“Thanks. I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”

Harry shrugged. “No worries. You’d have done the same thing for me.”

Cedric bent down to pick up the basket, then held out his arm for me. I grinned, then hooked my elbow through his offered one. We head down towards the lake, making small talk and laughing. We reached the edge of the lake, set down the basket, then started to walk next to the shore of the lake. He had fallen quiet. I could tell something was weighing down on him.

“Ced, what’s wrong? And don’t try and say nothing, because I know you better than that.”

He sighed. “Harry just told me what the first task is going to be. I’m not sure how he figured it out, all I know is that he seems positive that we were the only ones who didn’t already know. He believes Karkaroff told Krum, and Madam Maxime told Flure.”

I was shocked. “So, you know what you’re going to be facing.” 

He nodded. 

“Do you want to tell me?” I asked, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. 

He sighs again, then stopped walking. “Yeah, I do. I’ll need your help now more then ever.” He pulls me around to face him. 

“Dragons. That’s the first task. Harry says they have one for each of us.”

I gasp. “Dragons?” 

He nods again. He was looking pale. I run a hand through his hair, touseling it like I used to when we were younger. 

“Don’t worry, Cedric. I’m here for you. I’ll look up spells, I’ll research dragons and how to handle them. I’ll do anything you need me to. You won’t go through this alone.”

He smiles at me, meeting my gaze.

“Thanks Ruthie. You’re the best. Now, want some lunch? I’m feeling really hungry now that I’m not as worried about the dragon.”

“Yeah, let's go eat lunch.” 

We hooked arms again and went back to our basket, where we sat under a nearby tree while we ate the sandwiches we brought. We ate in a contented silence for a few moments, gazing off across the lake, which looked beautiful in the early afternoon light. A cool wind blew through our hair, making me shiver from underneath my cloak. 

“You cold?” Cedric asked, chuckling as he saw me shiver.

“A little,” I admit. 

“Come here, then. I’ll warm you up.”

I smile as I scoot closer to him, situating myself close up against his side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, which instantly warmed me up. We finished lunch, and just continued sitting with each other, not talking about much. 

About an hour later, we heard footsteps coming up from behind us. We looked behind us, and saw Cho approaching us. My heart sank. For some reason, I felt like she was intruding on a special moment, even though it was just me and my best friend. She smiled at us. 

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” She asked shily. 

“No, you’re fine,” Cedric said, taking his arm from around me and standing up. “What can I do to help you?”

“Well, you helped me so much last week with my Charms homework, I was wondering if you could help me with my transfiguration? There’s a particularly tricky spell that I haven’t quite got the hang of.”

“Sure I can help you. When would you like to have the study session?”

She looked down at her feet. “Would-would tonight work? I sort of promised a friend I’d help her with it once I figured it out, and she wants to work on it tomorrow.”

A wave of sadness washed over me. We were supposed to go stargazing tonight, and who knew when we’d get another chance? Cedric seemed to have had the same thought, because he shot me a quick, questioning glance.

“Well, I’d love to help. However, I sort of made plans for my evening tonight-”

I cut him off, making a split second choice.

“It’s ok, Ced. You can tutor her tonight if you need to. I don’t - I don’t mind.”

For a moment, I could have sworn his face fell. But it was only for a second. “Are you sure Ruthie? But what about our plans for stargazing?”

I sigh. “I’m sure you won’t be tutoring her all night. Maybe you can meet her earlier in the evening, then meet me in the astronomy tower when you’re done. We can still do our homework, and you’d be able to help Cho as well.”

He smiled at me once more. “Ok then. Cho?” He said, turning back towards her. “I’ll be happy to tutor you tonight. I’ll meet you in the Charms classroom after dinner. Is that good with you?”

She nodded, smiling faintly. “Thanks,” she muttered before turning around and walking back up to the castle. Cedric watched her go. I sighed, then turned around so I could pick up the rest of our picnic. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Ruthie, I’m sorry.”

I turned to face him. “Sorry about what?”

He sighed. “ Sorry tonight's plans will be different then what they were originally. I just feel like I need to help her, as I’m a prefect and all. You understand, right?”

I lower my face to study my shoes. “Cedric, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I understand you want to help, I do. And we didn’t cancel our plans, so we’ll still spend time together. Don’t worry about me.”

I look back up at him to see one of his amazing smiles.

“This is why you’re the best. Now come on, let’s go back to the common room. It’ll be warmer there.”

I agreed, so with that we head back up to the castle. We entered the front doors, and then I remembered. 

“Cedric, if you want to go to the common room, go ahead. I just realised that I promised to help you prepare to fight a dragon, and I have absolutely no idea how to do that.”

He chuckles. “Go on back to the common room while you do the research I need for the tournament? Now that’s a crazy thought. No, I’ll come with you.”

I grinned at him. “You’ll come to watch me research for you?” 

He laughs. “Does that sound like something I’d do?”

“Well…” I started, winking at him.

He rolls his eyes playfully.

We entered the library, and spent the rest of the afternoon looking up jinxes, hexes, spells, anything that could help Cedric fight a dragon.


	7. My Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What time is it? Fluff time! (Ok so fluff at the end. There may or may not be mild angst but it's ok because star gazing is fun right?)

As dinner came closer, we started putting books back and putting our notes in our bags. We had got quite a bit done, and were feeling a lot more optimistic about the first task coming up. 

“The only thing I wish to know is what kind of dragon you’ll be forced to fight. Depending on which one it is, you should know different spells.”

I grabbed my bag, and waited for Cedric to do the same. 

“Yeah, that would be nice to know. But as we didn’t know anything about the task this morning, we’ve made a lot of progress.” 

We left the library, and quickly returned our bags to our dormitories. We walked to dinner, discussing some of the spells we had learned. 

“I think the next step we need to take is to try and eliminate which dragons they couldn’t possibly bring to a school. Then, we can find spells that could protect from the most damage each of the remaining dragons could do. That way, you’ll be protected from every eventuality.”

Cedric places a hand on my shoulder. I look at him, our eyes meeting. 

“Ruthie, thanks again for all you’ve done to help me. You’re truly what keeps me afloat when times get hard.”

I blush. “Aw, thanks Ced.”

We sit down, and eat dinner in a cheerful atmosphere. Then, Cho approached the Hufflepuff table.

“Hey Cedric, you ready?” She asked.

“Yeah, I am. Hold on.”

He stands up, then turns to me. 

“I’ll try and make it to the Astronomy tower by nine.”

I nod. With that, he followed Cho out of the hall. I frown, then return to my dinner. 

“Why do you look like you lost your best friend?” Holly asked, taking what had been Cedric’s seat. 

I sigh. “I don’t know. I mean, I do know why I’m sad, I just don’t understand why it makes me sad. Does that make any sense?” 

She was silent for a moment, then replied. 

“Do you want to talk?”

I nod. So together, we walk out of the Great Hall and return to the common room. We sit down on a couch that faces one of the fires. She nudges my knee.

“So, what’s wrong?”

I take a deep breath. “It- it has to do with a girl named Cho Chang.”

“Isn’t she a Ravenclaw fourth year?”

“Yeah. Anyway, she’s been asking for Cedric’s help a lot this term. Being the person he is, he agrees. At first it didn’t bother me. But as the term wears on, it’s bothered me more and more. She’s been taking more and more of my best friend’s limited time, she’s even taken away some of our time tonight. And I know she goes to him because he’s a prefect, but doesn’t she have a prefect from her house she could ask? Then I realised something. I think-I think she fancies Ced.” 

I stop talking, looking at my hands.

“Oh, Ruthie,” Holly breaths, placing a friendly arm around me. 

I nod. “I’ve tried coming to terms with it... so what if someone likes him? Then my mind wandered to the thought... what if he likes her back? I tried to read into him, to try and see how he feels. But I can’t. I’ve now been trying to figure out why it bothers me to think that he likes someone. After all, he’s my best friend. I want to be happy for him. I do.”

I stop talking. I was dangerously close to tears.

Holly didn’t say anything for a few moments.

“Ruthie, I- I’m really sorry.” She waited a beat, then continued. “Is there… is there any possibility that you fancy Cedric? That could explain why you feel a little jealous at the thought of Cedric with someone else.”

I gasped slightly. “I- I didn’t think of that. Could I like him?”

Holly was about to answer, when someone entered the common room. It was Professor Sprout. She looked around, found me, then bustled over to me.

“Excuse me, Ms Albright, but it would be helpful if you could find Mr Diggory and head to the greenhouses? I have quite a few Venomous Tentacula plants that need trimming, and it would be nice if my prefects could come help me.”

I stood up. “Of course I’d love to help, professor.”

I hesitated, then continued. “Cedric is tutoring someone this evening, so it will be just me.”

Professor Sprout smiled at me, nodded, then left. I went to my dormitory, grabbed my prefect's badge, and left for the greenhouses. For the next hour, I helped 

Professor trim the plants, laughing and talking with her. We discussed herbology, and Hufflepuff’s improved chances towards the House Cup. About eight thirty, she stops me in my attempts to clip a particularly feisty branch. 

“Dear, these plants are looking much better. Thanks for all your help. You can head back to the castle.”

I gave her a puzzled look. “Thanks professor, but I wasn’t finished yet. I still have this plant-” She cut me off with a wave of her hand. 

“Never mind that dear, never mind that. It’s close to nine. If memory serves, that’s the time Mr Diggory had wanted your Astronomy Tower session to start.”

She laughed at the look of surprise on my face. “He had to ask my permission to gain access to the tower, remember?”

I smiled, and, after thanking her, I left the greenhouse and ran up to the castle. By the time I reached my dormitory, it was eight fifty. I quickly changed into warmer clothes, as it was cold at night. I pulled on my Hufflepuff jumper, grabbed my cloak, scarf, and homework before leaving the common room and starting my way toward the tower. I made it to the top, and set up my stuff at one of the tables that were pushed against the sides of the tower. I set up my telescope, and then waited for Cedric to show up.

A half hour passed, and still he wasn't there. I had started my astronomy homework to pass the time. Maybe his tutoring session had gone long, and he had lost track of the time. The bell tower sounded Ten. I nearly started crying. He had forgotten. I calmed myself, and decided to wait half an hour longer. If he didn't turn up in the next half an hour, I decided, I’d leave.

I finished my homework, and then just stared up at the sky. Ten thirty approached, arrived, and passed. I sighed. I slowly packed up my things, trying to drag out my time, hoping he’d show up. I bent down to pick up my bag, when I heard a crash from the staircase below. I listened. I heard the pounding of running footsteps come closer and closer until the door at the top banged open. 

Cedric stumbled through it, panting. “I- am - so sorry,” he choked out. I guide him to a chair, letting him catch his breath. A few minutes later, he finally did. He grabbed my hand, and looked into my eyes. 

“I didn’t mean to be late, I promise. I was … busy.”

I couldn’t help it, I started to cry. I stood up and walked towards the edge of the tower, leaving Cedric in his chair. He quickly followed me. 

“Honest, Ruthie, I didn’t. I had to run back to the common room after tutoring Cho to grab my homework-”

“That took you an hour and a half to do?”I cried, not being able to stop myself from interrupting him. 

“No, listen. I ran into Holly, who told me about how Sprout had wanted both of us to help her, but you had gone by yourself. That’s the second time in the span of a few weeks that you’ve had to do my duties along with your own. I wanted to get you something, to repay you for everything you’ve done.”

I looked at him. His beautiful grey eyes reflected the moon, making my breath hitch.

“You - what?” I asked, speechless.

He nodded, then walked away, looking for something in his bag. Facing away from me, he continued.

“I realised something last year, something that’s been weighing on me for a while now. I realised I loved someone, and I didn’t think she loved me in the same way. So instead of doing anything about it, I’ve tried to hide it. It has been so hard to do. And then Cho started asking me to help her. At first it didn’t bother me. But it became very apparent she likes me.”

I felt my heart sink. Was he about to tell me he loved her back? 

He turned to face me, something I couldn’t quite see clutched in his hand. 

“I realised this evening after tutoring her I had to act on my feelings, otherwise she would keep bugging me, taking more of my time with you away.”

I gasped. He said more of his time with me. Could it be? 

He reached me, stopping a few inches away. He grabbed one of my hands with his, lifting my face so our eyes could meet with his other hand. 

“I ran to the common room, and after a hurried conversation with Holly, I quickly got to work finding this.” He held out the object so I could see it. The moon hit it, making it glow. It was a moon lily, its petals in full bloom as the moon shone down on it. 

I met his eyes again. 

“Ruthie, I love you. I have for a while. Everytime I see you, fireworks go off in my stomach. Your smile is the most beautiful thing ever, and you have the kindest eyes. You make me feel like I’m important, you help me when I’m down. I could go on and on, and I’d never be able to list all I love about you.” 

I sniff, trying not to cry with happiness.

He rests his forehead on mine, his arms wrapping around my waist.

“Oh, Ced,” I whispered, grinning widely. “I love you too.”

He grinned back at me, and slowly, leaned closer to me. My eyes closed as our lips met. My heart soared, I couldn’t believe it. He loved me!

After a few minutes, he pulled away, and just stood there smiling at me. I got lost in his eyes, and probably would have stayed that way for a long time if I hadn't shivered. He pulled me close into a tight hug. 

“We should go to the common room, where it’s warmer,” He murmured into my hair, where he had buried his face.

I agreed, so we gathered our things and headed back, hand in hand. A few minutes later, we were back in the common room. After one last hug goodnight, we make our way back to our respective dormitories. 

As I crawled into bed, I heard Holly shift in the bed next to mine.

“How was it?” she asked, sleepily.

I grinned, though she couldn’t see me through the dark.

“Magical.”


	8. The First Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the first task has come, and both Ruthie and Cedric are stressed. What fun. Time to fight a dragon, may the best champion win!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise that it has been absolute ages since I last updated. Life has gotten busy and between school and appendicitis I haven't had much time to write. I'm back now though, so... yay? *Gives you a mug of butterbeer in hopes that you'll forgive me*

Time is a funny thing. It moves too fast when it would be nicer to go slow and drags on when it would be nice for it to go fast. That’s how the next few weeks seemed to pass for me. Ever since that night in the astronomy tower, I’ve been on cloud nine. Cedric and I have become nearly inseparable. We stuck together for classes, our prefects duties, and worked hard to help him succeed in fighting a dragon. We spent many a late night in the common room, cuddled into each other’s side with a book of dragons open between us in front of the large fire. I can’t remember a more contented time. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long.

The day of the first task had both Cedric and I in a state of intense nervousness. That morning, I woke to a buzz of noise drifting in from the common room. I hurriedly got up, threw on my clothes, and ran to see what was up. I entered the common room to see Cedric surrounded by nearly the entire house, all trying to shower him with encouragement.

“You’ll win, Ced.”

“There’s no way Potter could beat you!”

“Those stuck up foreign wizards won’t know what hit them when Hogwarts comes out on top!” 

Even though I felt bad for Cedric, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the look in his eyes as he tried to find an escape route without seeming rude. When he met my eyes, a visible look of relief flooded his face. 

“While all these wishes are well received, I really must be going-” Cedric said, trying to disengage. No one moved. If anything, they seemed to get louder, as if determined to keep Cedric hostage in a mob of well wishes. He glanced at me again, an obviously pained expression in his eyes.

“Please, I just want my breakfast-”

“We can all go! Escort the champion!” Someone yelled. 

“No! That’s not necessary, I just- QUIET!” It seemed like Cedric had run out of patience. Our fellow Hufflepuffs finally quieted down. 

“Thank you. Now, I really don’t mean to be rude, but all I really want is to have a semi-normal breakfast with my girlfriend before classes. Which reminds me, don’t you all have lessons? Go eat! You know how Madame Pomfrey gets if students skip a meal. On your way.”

With mild grumblings and a few last rounds of “Hufflepuff for the win”, the crowd dispersed, leaving Cedric free to make his way towards me. 

“You ok there?” I ask, trying to keep a straight face. He pulled me into a hug and buried his face in my neck. 

“I just want today to be over. The pressure is suffocating me.” 

“Aw, my poor baby. Would some breakfast make you feel better?”

He pulled away just enough to look into my eyes. “Food always makes me feel better.”

I chuckled at this. Then, disengaging from the hug in order to take his hand, I start to walk to the door of the common room. “Then let’s go! Need to fuel you up for your big day!”

He groaned at that. “Don’t remind me.” 

The rest of the day passed way too quickly. Before we knew it, Professor McGonagall had entered our herbology lesson to excuse Cedric early in order to allow him time to make his way down to the arena. He flashed me a forced smile as he stood up. I grabbed his hand before he could move out of my reach. 

“You’ll do great, Ced. I know you will.”

He only nodded, nerves showing plainly in his face as he left the greenhouse. All I could do now was wait until class was over.

It was time. I finally found myself smushed onto a bench next to Holly and a few of our other friends, looking with nervous anticipation at the rocky enclosure below us. 

The stadium was alive with noise. Banners of all kinds waved in the air, engulfing me and the rest of Cedric’s supporters in a sea of the brightest sunshine yellow. I didn’t notice my leg was bouncing out of nerves until Holly put a hand gently on my knee.

“Hey, he’s gonna be alright.”

“I know, I know. It’s just-”

“Dangerous?”

I sighed. “Yeah. Dangerous. I don’t want him to get hurt, that’s all.”

She smiled at me. “He won’t. Cedric knows his st-” She was cut off by a loud noise, which turned out to be the signal for the start of the task. Chains were rattling as a tall man with flaming red hair walked into the arena, flanked with five other people as they dragged a full sized and angry dragon into sight.

“What kind do you think that is?” Holly asked me, raising her volume slightly in order to be heard over the sounds of surprise at the revelation of the task to the rest of the students. 

“It looks like a Swedish Short-Snout,” I said, standing up a bit to get a better look at the dragon, who decided it was the correct time to send a column of flames shooting at the nearest handler. Luckily, they jumped out of the way.

“LET THE TASK BEGIN!”

At the crack of the cannon, the first champion made their way slowly into the arena. I sucked in a breath. It was Cedric.

“Come on Ced, come on,” I muttered, watching him crouch behind a rock. The dragon paced around its nest, glaring at anything that made noise anywhere near it. 

“What’s he doing?” Holly asked, but I had no answer. 

Then, over the rage of noise, I heard the strangest sound. A dog bark. Confused, I looked all around me, trying to figure out where the heck a dog came from when I noticed movement in the arena. 

A dog bolted towards the dragon from the place where Cedric crouched in wait, and it was then that I realised he must have transfigured a nearby boulder in order to create a distraction. Clever. Now to see if the dragon would take the bait. 

It did.

With a deafening roar, it flew after the dog, landing on the other side of the arena in pursuit. That was all Cedric needed. He bolted from the cover of the boulder, and slid as fast as he could into the nest. He scooped up the golden egg. Then froze. 

The dragon had lost interest in the dog. Now facing Cedric, it was apparent the it didn’t appreciate him messing with it’s eggs. 

“Move, Cedric, Move!” I yelled, not caring that my voice was drowned out by the rest of the noise. 

Cedric was running, trying not to trip as he escaped the dragon. I almost thought he’d make it unharmed. How I wish he made it unharmed. Before he made it safely out of the arena, the dragon let out one last blast of flame straight at him.

I know I was screaming, but the noise was drowned out by the outrage heard in the crowd at large. He managed to stumble out of sight and into the safety beyond the arena.

Without waiting to see what score he got, I jumped up from my seat and started shoving my way through the crowd, determined to make it to the medical tent as soon as possible. 

It took too long for my liking, but I finally made it. As I stood in the doorway catching my breath, I looked around. I must find my… there he is. I saw Cedric sitting on a table, cradling the golden egg in his arms. His eyes were clenched closed as Madame Pomfrey healed his face, which was blistered and red from the dragon’s parting gift. 

I had to restrain myself from running directly to him, waiting for Madame Pomfrey to finish healing him. As soon as she stepped back, I made a beeline straight for Cedric. He noticed me, and grinned.

“I did it Ruthie! I passed!”

“That you did,” I said, smiling as well as he pulled me close to his side with one arm. “Though you also gave me a heart attack. I’m so glad you’re ok, Ced.”

“It’ll take more than a bit of dragon’s fire to get rid of me, don’t worry about it.”

I Laughed. “Well, I’m your girlfriend. It’s my job to worry.”

We spent a few moments in contented silence, listening to the rest of the champions face their dragons. 

“So, what now?”

He turned his head to look at me. “Now?”

“Yeah. You’ve faced a dragon, won, and now are free to move on to the next task. Know what that might be?”

“Well,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “All I know is that the golden egg contains a clue about the next task. I don’t know what that clue might be or how to figure it out, but I do know that without it, I’ll have little chance of succeeding.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you won’t be doing this alone,” I said, untangling my arms from around him so I could grab the egg. He raised an eyebrow in question. I laughed. 

“You think I only planned to help you pass the first task? What kind of a best friend do you take me for?”

He smiled, pulling me in for a hug. “A very, very good one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also apologise if this chapter seems a bit short, I'm just trying to juggle several things at once but also wanted to post something because I feel bad for being MIA. I should hopefully start being a bit more regular though, so hope y'all liked it!


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